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Nebraska Extension in Gage County offers a variety of School Enrichment programs, including classroom programs, field days, and classroom kits. To bring a Nebraska Extension School Enrichment program to your classroom, please email Jacie Milius to schedule.
Elementary Programs
Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Programs
Dissect a Flower
$15 per classroom fee
Flowers are beautiful, but plants don't make flowers for our enjoyment. Students will explore the parts of a flower by doing a dissection or taking the flower apart. They will determine how to parts of the flower are involved in plant reproduction and how pollinators help increase pollination.
Next Generation Science Standards: K-LS1-1
Pollinator Ice Cream Sundae
$25 per classroom fee
Pollinators support our food supply and are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat each day, including most of the delicious components of an ice cream sundae. This 45 minute activity is designed to outline just how important pollinators are to the meals and desserts we love. Students will make an ice cream sundae to eat as part of this lesson.
Next Generation Science Standards: K-ESS3-1
Egg Carton Caterpillar
No fee
Caterpillars may look like simple insects, but they live a very fascinating life. They start their life as a squirmy larvae, change into a chrysalis or cocoons, and then transform into a moth or butterfly. In this activity, students will create their own caterpillar and learn about the insect's life cycle.
Next Generation Science Standards: K-ESS2-2
Sun's Up, Cover Up
$5 per classroom
Learn about sun safety through this fun, hands-on activity. Youth learn about how the sun's rays can be harmful and explore simple ways to protect themselves while playing outside. This program is designed as a single 30-40 minute session, where each child creates a UV-sensitive bracelet that changes color in sunlight, reinforcing the lesson in a memorable and interactive way.
Weather Fun
What's the weather like? Students will learn about the weather through fun, hands-on activities in this 45-minute session. Students will understand basic weather concepts with Weather Mystery Bags, identify clothing to wear for the weather forecast, sort between safe weather and not safe weather situations, create a rainstorm in a jar, and learn about thermometers by measuring temperatures and making their own thermometer out of paper.
Next Generation Science Standards: KESS2-1
Good Vibrations: The Science of Sound
No fee
Sound is vibration moving through matter such as air, water, or other materials. In this hands-on 45 minute program, students will understand that vibrations make sounds, understand how sounds travel and are heard, develop science skills of observing, comparing, and categorizing, and gain an appreciation for how sounds enrich our lives. Students will create vibrations using different student-made instruments.
Next Generation Science Standards: 1-PS4-1, 1-PS4-4
Good Habits/Bad Habits (Personal Hygiene)
No fee
Students understand the importance of good personal hygiene through this 45-minute session. Hands-on activities encourage students to develop good personal hygiene habits. The activity covers: good habits/bad habits, hand washing, toothbrushing, daily grooming habits.
Safe Surfers
No fee
Explore the basics of being safe and smart online through hands-on activities. Students will explore what information is safe to share, how technology makes them feel, and why balance matters. Each lesson is designed for 30-45 minutes.
- Head: Safe or Sorry - exploring information to keep private online
- Heart: Emoji Emotions - exploring how technology makes me feel
- Hands: Click or Quit? - making safe online choices
- Health: My Day, My Way - balancing my screen time
Mindful Me
No fee
This program promotes mindful practices that lead to improvements in managing one's own goals, developing a sense of self, time management, stress management, emotional regulation, and mindful eating practices. Each topic integrates a literacy component. Choose from the topics, each designed as a 30-40 minute session:
- Mindful Eating
- Affirmations
- The Gift of Presence
- Describing Feelings
- Mood Management
- Quiet Listening
- Flow (yoga)
Purple Ribbon Kids
2nd Grade
No fee
Four lessons can be selected which focus on the following:
-Belonging (Define belonging using their own words and demonstrate what it means to belong to a group or team.)
-Generosity (Define generosity as it applies to our lives, test the principles of equity and abundance and generate discussion and apply the abundance mindset to potential future scenarios.
-Inclusion (Identify what it means to be included and be able to identify similarities and differences between themselves and others.
-Mastery (Understand how repetition and practice creates mastery of a skill.)
Nebraska Standards: SS 2.1.2. SS 2.4.3, SS 3.1.2, SS 3.4.2, SS 4.3.3
3rd - 5th Grade Programs
AgCiting Science
3rd-4th Grade
$15 per classroom fee
Bring agriculture to life in your classroom through hands-on science lessons that connect everyday foods and products back to the farm. Students explore where their food comes from, make connections between science and agriculture, and practice critical thinking while having fun. This program is designed to be taught in four 30-45 minute sessions, selected from the following lessons: Our World (Ag impacts globally), Pizza Farm, Legen-Dairy, Positively Popcorn, The Pumpkin Lifecycle, Hot House Detective (greenhouses)
Next Generation Science Standards: 4-LS1-1
Nebraska Standards: SC.K.7.2.A, SC.K.12.3.B, SC.K.12.3.C, SC.1.6.2 ,SC.2.7.2
Embryology
3rd Grade
$20 per classroom fee
Students learn about the growth and development of living organisms and the life cycle of a chicken. Students will have the responsibility of caring for eggs while they are in the incubator and experience the excitement of hatching chicks. Embryology kits are delivered to schools during three sessions spanning from February – May. We also offer two learning opportunities where Extension staff can teach the following lessons: Egg Candling – Day 10ish of your incubation period (20-30 minutes) and Build-a-chick (genetics) – Between days 2-20 (45 minutes).
Next Generation Science Standards: 3-LS1-1, 3-LS3-1, 3-L23-2
Nebraska Science Standards: 1.1.3, 1.4.1, 1.4.2, 4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.4.3, 8.4.1
Egg-streme Engineering
4th - 5th Grade
$15 per classroom fee
Challenge your students to think like engineers as they design, test, and refine solutions in this hands-on STEM program. Using eggs as the centerpiece, students explore problem-solving, teamwork, and the engineering design process while applying science and math concepts in fun, memorable ways. This program is designed to be taught in three sessions that build upon one another, including: Egg-streme Engineering, Plan It, Build It, Break It, Egg-onomics (entrepreneurship)
Next Generation Science Standards: 4-PS3-1, 4-PS3-2, 4-PS3-3, 4-PS3-4, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3
Wind Tunnel Engineering
3rd - 5th Grade
$15 per classroom fee
Experience the engineering design process through experimentation with aerodynamics. Learn about forces that help and others that cause challenges for flight. Explore materials and experience teamwork through iterative design in this 60-minute hands-on activity.
Next Generation Science Standards: 5-PS2-1, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3
Abby the Dog
3rd - 5th Grade
$10 per classroom fee
Abby is a dachshund with mobility issues in her back legs. Students design and build something that will improve Abby’s life while keeping her injured lower back safe. Students will participate in design thinking (building empathy), and follow an iterative process to design, build and test a mobility device to help Abby in her day-to-day life.
Next Generation Science Standards: 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3
How the Earth is Shaped
4th Grade
No fee
In this 45-minute session, students will compare different land management practices that are designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land. Review topographical maps to understand patterns on Earth's surface and build a model of a topographical map.
Next Generation Science Standards: 4-ESS2-1, 4-ESS2-2
Nebraska Science Standards: SC 2.1.1, SC 5.1.1, SC.2.7.2, SC 2.13.3, SC 3.7.2
Health Rocks!
3rd - 5th Grade
$10 per classroom
Help your students build strong social-emotional skills while learning how to make positive, healthy choices. This program uses interactive lessons and activities to spark discussion about friendships, self-control, and decision-making. Students gain strategies to handle peer pressure, develop resilience, and strengthen relationships. This program is designed to be taught in four, 30-45 minute sessions, including: Who Makes a Good Friend, Be a Mentor, Let Your Head Rule, Circle of Friends.
Kids Got Heart
3rd - 5th Grades
Students will discuss the importance of keeping their heart healthy and make the connection between heart health and physical activity. Through this fun, 30-minute active activity, students will locate and track their pulse rate. *Note, a large indoor or outdoor (weather permitting) space will be required of the school.
Think Before You Click
3rd - 5th Grade
No fee
Students begin to understand their role and responsibility as digital citizens. Lessons help them recognize their digital footprint, respond to others with kindness, and spot online tricks and scams. Activities are interactive and reflective, encouraging students to practice positive digital habits. Choose from four 30–45 minutes sessions:
- Head: Footprints in Cyberspace – understanding digital footprints
- Heart: Keyboard Kindness – being kind to others online
- Hands: Catch the Bait – avoiding clickbait and scams
- Health: Pause for Power – balancing my screen time
Fight Bac/Bacteriology
5th Grade
Students learn about the spread of germs, grow, and observe cultures of bacteria common in our lives. This can also tie in safe food handling and personal hygiene.
Nebraska Science Standards: SC5.2.1, SC.5.3
Smart Cents
5th Grade
No fee
Students learn to earn, save, and spend money wisely, and discover the power of budgeting. Students take control of their financial future in this program designed to be taught in 4, 30-45 minute sessions, selected from the following: My Money Personality, Let’s Get SMART (SMART Goals), Do I Really Need That (Needs v. Wants), Bringing Home the Bacon, My Work My Future.
Escape Through Nebraska
4th-5th Grade
No fee
Can you unlock the history of Nebraska through these challenges? Escape through Nebraska is designed with 4th grade standards in mind and is a great way to test student’s Nebraska history knowledge in a fun way.
Purple Ribbon Kids
3rd - 4th Grade
No fee
Four lessons can be selected which focus on the following:
-Belonging (Define belonging using their own words and demonstrate what it means to belong to a group or team.)
-Generosity (Define generosity as it applies to our lives, test the principles of equity and abundance and generate discussion and apply the abundance mindset to potential future scenarios.
-Inclusion (Identify what it means to be included and be able to identify similarities and differences between themselves and others.
-Mastery (Understand how repetition and practice creates mastery of a skill.)
Nebraska Standards: SS 2.1.2. SS 2.4.3, SS 3.1.2, SS 3.4.2, SS 4.3.3
Earth Festival
September 22, 23 & 24, 2026
5th Grade
No Fee
Camp Jefferson
Earth Festival is a hands-on environmental education program that gives fifth-grade students the opportunity to explore Nebraska's natural resources through interactive learning experiences. Students rotate through engaging sessions led by local experts, discovering topics such as wildlife, soil, water, forestry, and conservation while building an understanding of how their actions impact the environment. Earth Festival encourages curiosity, stewardship, and a lifelong appreciation for the natural world.
Middle School Programs
Smart Cents
5th - 8th Grades
No fee
Students learn to earn, save, and spend money wisely, and discover the power of budgeting. Students take control of their financial future in this program designed to be taught in 4, 30-45 minute sessions, selected from the following: My Money Personality, Let’s Get SMART (SMART Goals), Do I Really Need That (Needs v. Wants), Bringing Home the Bacon, My Work My Future.
Real World Money
6-8th Grades
$10 per classroom fee
This is an interactive financial management program, designed to help students become better prepared to make financial decisions as young adults. This awesome program puts youth through a real life simulation where they will have to attain an occupation, pay bills, buy groceries and basic necessities in order to survive. This program is designed to be taught in four, 45 minute sessions that build off of one another.
Inventure Day
Grades 6-8
$30 per classroom fee
Inspire your students to think like entrepreneurs! INVENTURE Day challenges youth to use innovation and creative problem-solving to develop unique business ideas. Working in teams, students learn what it takes to start a business by moving through activities that mirror the entrepreneurial process—product development, marketing, branding, and finance. This program is designed to be taught in three, 30-45 minute sessions that build upon each other including: Innovation & Product Development, Branding & Marketing, Finance & the Pitch
Smart Choices, Strong Voices
6-8th Grades
No fee
Students learn to think critically about the digital world around them. Lessons focus on identifying real versus fake content, exploring how social media impacts relationships, and developing safe online gaming practices. Choose from 30–45 minute lessons that build both awareness and practical strategies.
- Head: Fake Out or Fact Check? – identifying digitally altered or misleading content
- Heart: Behind the Filter – understanding how social media shapes relationships and self-image
- Hands: Level Up Safely – safe practices in gaming and online friendships
- Health: Log Off to Chill Out – balancing screen time and managing stress
Galactic Quest
6th-8th Grades
$50 per classroom fee
Blast off into STEM learning with Galactic Quest, a space-themed program that explores the history of humans in space, the technology and resources needed for missions, and the challenges astronauts face in orbit. Youth build foundational STEM skills while wrestling with the same questions today’s aerospace scientists and engineers are tackling. This program is designed to be taught in three-four, 45 minute sessions, selected from the following activities: Astro Adventure (unplugged board game), Stellar Optics (build telescope), Cosmic Claw (engineer hydraulic arm), Cyber Satellite (coding skills)
Food For Thought
6-8th Grade
$25 per classroom
Help your students explore the important issue of food security through hands-on STEM activities. This program builds awareness of how food security impacts individuals both locally and globally, while empowering youth to consider ways they can personally contribute to creating a more food secure community. This program is designed to be taught in three 30-45 minute sessions, including the following lessons: Food Fighters (global food chain), Chew on This (food waste), Know to Grow (controlled environment Agriculture).
Health Rocks!
6-8th Grade
No fee - Grant Funded (requirements must be met for funding)
Nebraska, along with Gage County, has received a national grant to implement the 4-H Health Rocks! program. The grant aims to reach students in grades 6-8 with 6-10 hours of curriculum content. Check-out this one-pager for more info about the program: https://go.unl.edu/tu8k
4-H Health Rocks! Is a healthy decision-making curriculum which can be tailored to four main topics: Substance Use Prevention, Positive Relationship Development, Stress Management, or Nutrition/Healthy Lifestyle. Each track starts with three core lessons, then we build the program from there based on which topic you want to focus on (or you can do a mixture of all four). The "track" options and each lesson title/description in each track can be accessed here: https://go.unl.edu/cd6r
Extension staff can come deliver the program during the school day, or we can train your staff to deliver the program. This program can work well as a PE unit, as SEL, or can be integrated into regular classroom lessons. The lessons are around 45 minutes each, so we can really tailor them to your school's schedule and needs.
Real World Money
2026 Date TBA
Real World Money is a field day experience where students step into the role of young adults managing personal finances. Through interactive stations, youth make real-life decisions about housing, transportation, food, childcare, and more, while learning the importance of budgeting and financial responsibility. ESU 5 supports this program for the Perkins Consortium schools - Program to be held in 2026, date/location TBD.
Youth Science Day
2026 Date TBA
Youth Science Field Day is a field day experience where students rotate through sessions to explore science-related concepts through hands-on activities and experiments designed to spark curiosity and strengthen STEM learning. Topics may include biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, and agriculture.
Leadership Summit
2026 Date TBA
Grades 5-7
Youth in middle school will see the world from a new perspective and learn to be more effective leaders after participating in the Leadership Summit program. Through Leadership Discovery, Personality Trait Assessment, and interactive leadership development activities, students will explore their strengths, practice teamwork, and build interpersonal skills. The program equips youth with tools to be successful leaders in their families, schools, and communities while encouraging them to “Be a good leader, make a difference today.”
High School Programs
Next Chapter
No fee
Being successful in college starts with preparation now. Next Chapter is a college- and career-readiness program that engages students in ongoing activities throughout high school that inspire students to plan for life after graduation, build important skills, and prepare for a successful transition to college. There are four, 30-45 minute sessions that are developed for each grade level. These lessons build upon one another and focus on four main topics: career exploration, college exploration, academic skill strategies, and wellness and community engagement.
Succeed in a Digital World
No fee
This interactive activity encourages students to reflect on their own tech use, explore the benefits and drawbacks of screen time, and learn strategies for making healthier digital choices. Students engage in quick polls, vote on themes, and share their perspectives about how technology helps—or hurts—their daily lives. This program is designed as a drop-in activity during lunch periods, school events, or other gatherings. Students participate in a short visioning-style exercise and leave with practical tips for balancing technology use to support their well-being.
Tech Savy, Future Ready
No Fee
High school students dive deeper into the ethics and impact of technology on their future. Lessons cover evaluating credible sources, understanding digital reputation, exploring how big data drives targeted advertising, and weighing the opportunity costs of constant connectivity. Choose from four 30–45 minute lessons that prepare teens to take control of their digital lives.
- Head: News or Noise? – finding credible sources online
- Heart: Posts That Last – understanding digital reputation and consequences
- Hands: Are You the Product? – exploring big data and how it is used to target you
- Health: The Trade-off Game – understanding opportunity cost of using technology
Nebraska Vision Board Project
Encourage your students to think about their future with this quick, engaging visioning activity. The Nebraska Vision Board Project invites youth to set personal and academic goals by adding to a co-created visual display of dreams and aspirations. This program is designed to be offered as a drop-in activity during lunch periods, school events, or other gatherings. Students participate in a short, guided exercise that promotes reflection, goal setting, and self-motivation.
Virtual STEM Field Trips
Take your students beyond the classroom with Nebraska 4-H Virtual Field Trips! These interactive experiences give youth the chance to explore science, agriculture, technology, and more. Each tour provides a behind-the-scenes look at real facilities, guided educational content, and additional classroom resources for teachers. Teachers may select from 27 available tours and use them at their own pace to supplement classroom learning. Past field trips were recorded with live audiences, while current offerings are available as high-quality, previously recorded sessions.
Connecting the Dots
2026 Date TBA
Help your students explore future careers and connect what they’re learning in school to real-world opportunities. In this hands-on career readiness program, youth rotate through simulations and activities designed to help them understand career pathways, practice workplace skills, and build connections with local employers and postsecondary partners. This program is designed to be delivered in a full-day experience for up to 150 youth that includes: Career Exploration Simulation, Networking Activities, Career Cluster Breakouts, Post-Secondary Engagement. ESU 5 supports this program for the Perkins Consortium schools - Program to be held in 2026, date/location TBD.
County Government Day
2027 Date TBA
11-12th Graders
Students will get a behind-the-scenes look at how county government works and how it affects their everyday lives. Through interactive activities, conversations with county officials, courthouse tours, and a government simulation, students will explore public services, local decision-making, civic engagement, and careers in county government. This hands-on experience helps youth discover how they can make their voices heard and contribute to their community.
Optional Pre-Lessons (45 minutes each):
- A good Citizen is... (basics of citizenship, review of the federal government, Nebraska's Representation)
- The Great Shake (handshakes & first impressions, Nebraska State Government, Citizenship Quiz)
- Serving Your Community (family heritage & valuing cultures, local government, ways to serve)
Classroom Kits
Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Kits
Dancing Pepper
$5 per classroom fee
Jump into chemistry with this fun hands-on experiment where students learn about how soap works and the importance of washing.
Potato Maze
$5 per classroom
Using just a cardboard box and a sprouting potato, do this fun activity to see the obstacles plants will overcome to find the light they need to grow. Kit includes a maze, potato and learning materials.
Calm Jars
$15 per classroom fee
Calm jars are a tool used to lead kids through developing positive “self-talk” practices which can help boost confidence, optimism and motivation while decreasing negative thoughts and emotions. Kit includes all materials for a class of 25 students to participate.
Garden in a Glove
$10 per classroom fee
Conservation is the use of Earth’s natural resources -- such as water, soil, air, minerals, wildlife -- while protecting their ecosystems at the same time. In this activity, kids will learn more about conservation by creating their own ecosystem. By the end, they will have their very own garden. Kit includes materials for 25 students.
Food Fun
Kindergarten
No fee
Kindergarten youth discover that food is fun as they learn why food is important for good health, explore the five basic food groups that help keep the body healthy, and use the five senses to connect sensory organs with their functions.
Healthy Me
1st Grade
No Fee
First graders discover why their bodies need food, how their bodies use this food, how to plan a balanced meal, and how to choose healthy snacks.
Plate Party
2nd Grade
No fee
Through a variety of activities, second graders discover why balanced meals are important, learn about the digestive process, and practice making healthful food choices.
3rd - 5th Grade Kits
Space Seeds
3rd - 8th Grades
$25 per classroom fee
In this one-week-long experiment, students investigate the effects of light and orientation on the germination and growth of seedlings used . Next Generation Science Standard MS-LS1-4). Kit includes all materials for a class of 25 students to participate.
Stop the Pass
3rd - 12th Grade
$5 per classroom fee
Students will discover how illness/disease transfers from person to person and learn preventative measures to reduce risks. Students will walk away with an economic understanding of how illness/disease may affect their family, community, and world.
Let's Eat Smart
3rd Grade
No fee
Third graders discover how the body gets important nutrients, learn how to read food labels, and explore the safe storage of foods.
Rate That Plate
4th Grade
No fee
Fourth graders will enjoy learning why their bodies need water, vitamins, and minerals; how to identify healthful ways to eat; how to make better choices at fast-food restaurants; and why eating a healthful breakfast is important.
Food Science Investigator
5th Grade
No fee
Fifth graders’ curiosity will quickly pique as they investigate how to use MyPlate to plan a balanced diet, why and how to find and maintain a healthful weight, how to compare food labels, and the importance of food safety.
Rethinking Sugary Drinks
3rd - 5th Grade
No fee
In this activity, students will learn nutritional facts for different beverages. By the end, they will have a better understanding of which drinks are the healthiest options to keep them happy and hydrated. Supplies for 25 students.
Microgreens System
$20 per classroom fee
Microgreens are a delicious healthy addition to many meals, including salads. In this activity, kids will learn how to grow and take care of plants in a microgreen system. This microgreen experiment is a great example of how easy it can be to grow your own food. Other than your supplies, all you need is a little bit of time and patience. Supplies for 25 students.
Hot of Cold? Chemical Reactions
$10 per classroom fee
In this experiment, students will use common kitchen ingredients to create and observe two different chemical reactions! Supplies for 25 students.
Marshmallow Catapult
$10 per classroom fee
Students will build marshmallow catapults. From this activity, youth will learn about the engineering design process and physics! Supplies for 25 students.
Middle School & High School Kits
Space Seeds
3rd - 8th Grade
In this one-week-long experiment, students investigate the effects of light and orientation on the germination and growth of seedlings used . Next Generation Science Standard MS-LS1-4). Kit includes all materials for a class of 25 students to participate.
Stop the Pass
3rd - 12th Grade
Students will discover how illness/disease transfers from person to person and learn preventative measures to reduce risks. Students will walk away with an economic understanding of how illness/disease may affect their family, community, and world.